For DWCS 12 winner, Bevon Lewis securing a UFC deal was like a trip to FedEx

For Dana White’s Contender Series 12 winner Bevon Lewis, picking up a UFC contract on Tuesday was really no different than heading down to FedEx to pick up a package.

He had to take a businesslike approach to the fight, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass from The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas.

Lewis was one of two fighters who received a UFC deal. Lewis (6-0) knocked fellow middleweight Alton Cunningham (3-1) from the unbeaten ranks with a first-round TKO win. It was his second DWCS victory – he scored a TKO win over Elias Urbina at DWCS 8 in 2017 – and moved him to 6-0 with three knockouts since his 2015 pro debut.

He had some nerves and uncertainty for his first DWCS bout a year ago, but the second time around, he was determined to claim what was his: a UFC deal.

“The point of getting to this year, well, we planned on it, so it’s pretty much like going to pick up a package,” he told MMAjunkie.

All things considered, he said things played out like they should’ve. As soon as he considered taking a DWCS bout and possibly earning a UFC contract, he prepared himself for fighting the division’s elite. In 2017, that was well-traveled vet Gegard Mousasi, who’s now with Bellator but still serves as a sort of measuring stick for Lewis.

“I probably wasn’t even ready,” he said of his first DWCS win and lack of a UFC contract. “The first thing that came to my mind was like, ‘Yo, what if that was Mousasi or something?’ … It was a hard pill to swallow, but I understood.”

With Mousasi out of the picture, Lewis is still focused on the division’s elite. If his career plays out the way he plans, the 27-year-old LFA vet is going to have to fight them all anyway. It’s one reason he was already talking about recent UFC main-event winner and undefeated contender Israel Adesanya (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) – both his adoration for his style and the possibility of a future matchup – after this win (via Twitter):

But before he gets there, Lewis has one simple plan.

“I want to jump in right away, and I want to take some time (off),” he said. “I’m not talking about vacation or nothing like that. I’m talking about just getting better. I’ve got to get better. I’ve got to keep feeling the pressure I’ve been feeling.”